Good news...
...for people who like the idea of having their next leader chosen by a group of people called "Super Rangers".
Bush and Kerry collectively raised over half a billion ($US 500,000,000) during the last presidential campaign. That money went to, among more constructive things, misleading television ads, press releases full of half truths, and dirty tricks intended to keep other voices out of a campaign (lest someone introduce Royal Crown Cola to the Coke vs. Pepsi Challenge).
As the Washington Post article points out, presidential candidates take in contributions from big and small donors alike. Most of the small donations come after the primary season, when the party’s candidate is all but nominated. During the primaries, the big donations from the aforementioned Rangers and guys like David Geffen provide the foundation for the unbridled Babbittry that is life on the hustings.
I don’t know what can be done about it. You can’t begrudge people for the decisions they make in a democracy. However, if those decisions are made without a full airing of the facts, there’s a problem. You could argue, even, that such a system is not a democracy at all. But to do so (and be taken seriously) you’d have to prove that there’s deliberate suppression of information by the main political actors. That amounts to a conspiracy theory, and no one who comes forth with such an idea is taken seriously.
Personally, I don’t look to the DNC or RNC for leadership on the issues that matter most to me. It saddens me that most people who engage in the political process in this country feel otherwise.
Bush and Kerry collectively raised over half a billion ($US 500,000,000) during the last presidential campaign. That money went to, among more constructive things, misleading television ads, press releases full of half truths, and dirty tricks intended to keep other voices out of a campaign (lest someone introduce Royal Crown Cola to the Coke vs. Pepsi Challenge).
As the Washington Post article points out, presidential candidates take in contributions from big and small donors alike. Most of the small donations come after the primary season, when the party’s candidate is all but nominated. During the primaries, the big donations from the aforementioned Rangers and guys like David Geffen provide the foundation for the unbridled Babbittry that is life on the hustings.
I don’t know what can be done about it. You can’t begrudge people for the decisions they make in a democracy. However, if those decisions are made without a full airing of the facts, there’s a problem. You could argue, even, that such a system is not a democracy at all. But to do so (and be taken seriously) you’d have to prove that there’s deliberate suppression of information by the main political actors. That amounts to a conspiracy theory, and no one who comes forth with such an idea is taken seriously.
Personally, I don’t look to the DNC or RNC for leadership on the issues that matter most to me. It saddens me that most people who engage in the political process in this country feel otherwise.
posted by Bloggalicious at 14:52
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